Anusha Subramanyam - From the Heart

The piece From the Heartby Anusha Subramanyam contrasted the stylised, controlled movements of traditional Asian dance form, Bharatanatyam, with ‘ordinary’ gestures. She took us on an extraordinary journey, telling stories through movement from the lyrical to the nightmarish.

She begins with miming picking flowers, smelling their fragrance, throwing them to the audience, breaking them into confetti. There is a soundtrack like rain and she dances playfully with water, splashing it on her face, kicking puddles.

She creates a child presence on stage to whom she throws a ball. She demonstrates skills a premier league football player would be proud of. The music is traditional Asian singing with a rhythmic drumbeat. Then she seems to lift the child up and lay it down - her gestures become those of grief and fear. She covers her face with her hands; hands which unfurl and make exquisite gestures at other times. A finger pointing to a temple needs no translation. Throughout her face evokes powerful emotions, completely in tune with her movements.

The music changes, sonorous voices, ghostly. The hands make the flapping gesture pointing at the ears that teenagers make when someone is talking too much. She throws her hands down in a gesture that says, ‘Enough!’ She enacts the torment of hearing voices and later, hallucination. Finally she strides purposefully forward, crosses her clenched fists in a gesture of strength.

Anusha Subramanyam: ‘My aim was to share the joy I felt working with severely disabled and mentally ill people…. From vulnerability comes strength, to be very vulnerable and raw.’